BHUBANESWAR: The state government has once again extended the deadline for eKYC verification of beneficiaries of free ration under food security schemes from February 15 to March 31. This is the sixth time that the government has extended the timeline for mandatory self-authentication of beneficiaries through Aadhaar seeding.
Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare minister Krushna Chandra Patra, who had earlier said that no further extension will be given beyond February 15, told mediapersons here that the decision has been taken considering the appeals for more time by people living in remote locations and facing internet issues.
“It is a genuine problem. Of the total 11,840 fair price shops or public distribution system (PDS) points, 341 are operating offline. While there is no network at 230 points, internet services are very slow at the remaining 111 locations,” Patra said.
An estimated 12 lakh beneficiaries are still waiting to complete eKYC verification in remote locations. There are 3.32 crore beneficiaries of food security programmes.